Chapter 306: The Town of the Forest of Enchantment
Before long, around midday, we arrived at the town closest to the Forest of Enchantment. The walls facing the highway leading to the Royal Capital were thick and tall, resembling those of a fortress city. Of course, the pair of adventurers from earlier had not caught up with us.
“Ah, a high-class inn? Hmm, there might not be one in this town,” I mused.
I promptly asked the gatekeeper for recommendations on accommodations, but the response was less than promising. In a town filled with rough-and-tumble folk, a high-priced inn seemed to imply safety, while the quality of service was secondary.
“If you’re looking for a place with a bath, you might not find one here,” he added.
“Is that so?” I replied, disheartened. Given that we planned to spend some time in the Forest of Enchantment, the lack of a bath would require some serious consideration.
“Well, this town has experienced a few monster stampedes in the past. It’s best to expect only practical establishments here,” he said, guiding me to a recommended safe inn. I thanked him and stepped into the town.
“Welcome to Fortress City Satanis Garden, the frontline of the Forest of Enchantment!”
Beyond the gate, which the guard opened for us, lay an organized area. The square in front of the gate was spacious, but the roads branching out were narrow, with sturdy walls surrounding the buildings. The main street directly ahead seemed to lead straight into a wall, suggesting that the town was a labyrinth of sorts.
Having inquired about the location of the Adventurer’s Guild, I made my way there. It was said to be on the northern side of the town, so I proceeded straight ahead. After winding through the largest street, I emerged on the northern side, where a surprisingly large Adventurer’s Guild came into view.
“Wow, it’s bigger than I expected,” I remarked.
“Seems like there are many adventurers aiming for the Forest of Enchantment,” Rio noted.
“I’ll take down some monsters too!” Phonia declared, her enthusiasm palpable.
“Wooof!” Nil seemed equally motivated.
Standing in front of the guild, gazing up at the building was only getting in the way, so we decided to head inside. Perhaps due to the time of day, it wasn’t overly crowded. However, the spacious interior housed a fair number of rugged-looking adventurers. For a brief moment, we attracted their attention, but it quickly dispersed.
As usual, Ivan headed straight for the request board, with Nil and Phonia following closely behind.
“Are there any inns with baths in this town?” I asked as we approached an available counter.
“…A place with a bath, you say?” The staff member seemed taken aback by the unexpected question, pausing for a moment before responding.
“Yes. I asked at the town entrance, but I wanted to check here just in case.”
“We do have inns near public bathhouses, but there aren’t any with private baths in this town…”
“Oh, is that so?”
Well, without a bath, it seemed we would have to make do with a camping house, which was less than ideal.
“Did you find any?” Rio called out as I stepped away from the counter and headed toward the request board.
“Nothing. I wish there was some vacant land available,” I replied.
“Maybe we should check in with the merchant guild later,” she suggested.
“Sounds good.”
When we reached the request board, I noticed Ivan furrowing his brow as he scanned the listings.
“Did you find anything good?” I asked.
“…………Nothing,” he replied after a long silence.
“What?”
His response made me roll my eyes in disbelief. Although it was just before noon and many requests had already been taken, there were still some left for gathering and subjugation in the Forest of Enchantment.
“There aren’t any requests for the Forest of Enchantment that can be accepted at rank E,” he said.
“Huh?”
I couldn’t help but let out a foolish sound, and I sensed the surrounding chatter quieting down slightly.
“—Bwahahaha!”
Suddenly, a man standing a little distance away burst into laughter as he overheard us.
“Looks like a bunch of rookies think they can take on the Forest of Enchantment!”
As he clutched his stomach in laughter, I felt the warmth of the crowd’s gaze upon us, as if they were sharing in his amusement.
“Too bad for you kids. At rank E, you can’t even leave through the north gate!”
“Wait, seriously?”
Ivan turned back at the man’s words, which only seemed to amuse him further, as he doubled over in laughter.
“Bwahaha! You came all this way without knowing that?”
Though I didn’t voice it, I was internally screaming, “Are you kidding me?” If that was the case, could El, who wasn’t an adventurer, leave? It seemed like there should be some way for those without business in the forest, like repairing the town walls, to exit.
“It looks like we’ll have to raise our ranks through other requests,” I said, patting Ivan on the back in a comforting manner, and the man next to us nodded in agreement.
“There are plenty of strong monsters around here, even outside the Forest of Enchantment. Just be careful not to get yourself killed,” he advised before taking a request from the board and heading to the counter.
“Haha, well, good luck,” I said, giving Ivan another reassuring pat.
We were merely heading into the Forest of Enchantment to gather ingredients, and whether we took on requests would depend on the situation. We weren’t even partied with Ivan, so even if he managed to follow us to the forest, he wouldn’t rank up from any requests we took.
“Ivan-nii, do your best!” Phonia cheered, but Ivan only slumped his shoulders in response.